Not Quite Grownup

Back-to-School Routines: Why My System Totally Failed by Day 4

Caitlin Kindred Season 6 Episode 211

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0:00 | 10:04

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It's day four of school, the bus comes in six minutes, and Caitlin's carefully planned back-to-school systems have already fallen apart. This episode is about what happened when trying harder wasn't the answer, and the one new thing that actually stuck in this year's routine.

Who Should Listen

  • Moms whose back-to-school routines are already falling apart, even after real planning
  • Anyone who's bought the new planner, the color-coded pens, or the habit tracker app that died by day four
  • Parents who feel like they're failing at their own advice
  • Listeners who need to hear that it's okay if the "right" systems just don't work for your family

What You'll Get

  • Why a system can work perfectly over the summer and still collapse by day four of the school year
  • The real problem: it's not laziness or lack of effort; it's building routines for a family that doesn't actually exist in your house
  • Why the "new planner, new me" trap rarely works, and why that's not a personal failing
  • The one small change Caitlin's keeping (four words: teeth, socks, shoes, backpack) and why it's working where everything else didn't
  • A reminder that the routine or system that'll actually stick is probably already in your house—it's just not the shiny new one

Your Host

Caitlin Kindred is the host of Not Quite Grownup, a podcast for moms navigating the gap between who they're "supposed" to be and the messy, real version of adulthood.

Sources & Mentions

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